Identity formation is a key developmental task in adolescence. Although many adolescents in modern societies face issues of identity, there are substantial individual differences in identity exploration and commitment. Little is known about the origins of these individual differences. The current study investigated the genetic and environmental…

This article explores encounters between formal, informal, and non-formal education and the role of mentor-educators in creating values education in which such encounters take place. Mixed-methods research was conducted in Israeli public schools participating in the Personal Education Model, which combines educational modes. Ethnographic and…

The study aimed to examine the factor structure of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ), the most widely used measure of dysfunctional beliefs in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Multiple exploratory methods (exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis by variable, multidimensional scaling) were used to examine the questionnaire.…

Combining diverse methods in a single study raises a problem: What should be done when the findings of one method of investigation conflict with those of another? The authors illustrate this problem using an example in which three study phases--quantitative, qualitative, and intervention--are applied. The findings from the quantitative phase did…

Cross-cultural validity studies for psychological instruments may result in overestimation of structure invariance due to some items being scored on more than one scale. This problem, called the common-item effect, is investigated with some data from the literature. (JKS)

The Endler S-R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness was analyzed employing Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) and factor analysis. The SSA yielded a two-dimensional lattice partitioning the space into regions corresponding to the situations specified in the inventory. The factor-analytic results were similar but not as informative. (Author/JAZ)

A scale measuring attitudes toward small-group teaching was administered to 442 teachers from 28 elementary and secondary schools in Israel. At least two dimensions of attitudes were identified: control over class and efficiency of the method. (Author/JKS)

Geometric approaches to representing interrelations among tests and items are compared with an additive tree model (ATM), using 2,644 examinees and 2 other data sets. The ATM's close fit to the data and its coherence of presentation indicate that it is the best means of representing tests and items. (TJH)